Science says rule-breakers on the road prevent traffic jams instead of cause them.
I am one who believes surgers (drivers who stay in a lane as long as possible until they absolutely must move over, forcing other drivers to let them in) cause backups approaching lane closures. If we all were "mergers" and got into one lane in an organized fashion, backups would be reduced. They would not be eliminated, because lane closures require traffic to decrease speed, something that will never occur in an organized way. There is no way to get all drivers to slow down at the same rate at the same time.
Now I find that physicists believe rule breakers help traffic, not hurt it.
According to their research, optimal traffic conditions exist when an astonishing 40 percent of drivers are breaking the rules!
The research was not done in traffic, however. Their conclusions are based on research using pedestrians, not cars. But a noted auto traffic expert buys into the conclusion, with a notable exception: he says tailgating is a disaster in the making. If the lead vehicle slows down and the following vehicles don't have adequate distance between them, the reaction time of the drivers (about one second) accumulates and leads to a wreck.
So maybe a still partially right.
I am one who believes surgers (drivers who stay in a lane as long as possible until they absolutely must move over, forcing other drivers to let them in) cause backups approaching lane closures. If we all were "mergers" and got into one lane in an organized fashion, backups would be reduced. They would not be eliminated, because lane closures require traffic to decrease speed, something that will never occur in an organized way. There is no way to get all drivers to slow down at the same rate at the same time.
Now I find that physicists believe rule breakers help traffic, not hurt it.
According to their research, optimal traffic conditions exist when an astonishing 40 percent of drivers are breaking the rules!
The research was not done in traffic, however. Their conclusions are based on research using pedestrians, not cars. But a noted auto traffic expert buys into the conclusion, with a notable exception: he says tailgating is a disaster in the making. If the lead vehicle slows down and the following vehicles don't have adequate distance between them, the reaction time of the drivers (about one second) accumulates and leads to a wreck.
So maybe a still partially right.
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